How to Express Possession, Use the Gerund, and Talk About Duration in English

This course helps you learn how to express possession, use the gerund (-ing form), and describe duration with for, since, and ago in English.

You will find clear explanations, bilingual examples, and interactive exercises to check your understanding.

Expressing Possession in English

In English, possession is often expressed using the apostrophe + s ('s) or the preposition of.

1. Using ’s for possession

We usually add ’s to a noun to show that something belongs to someone or something.

Example	Meaning
Rebecca’s phone	The phone that belongs to Rebecca
My brother’s bike	The bike that belongs to my brother
Julien’s pen	The pen that belongs to Julien
The cat’s eyes	The eyes belonging to the cat
My friend’s house	The house belonging to my friend

2. When the noun ends in -s

If the possessor is a plural noun ending in s, we only add an apostrophe (’):

Example	Meaning
Parents’ room	The room that belongs to the parents
My friends’ book	The book that belongs to my friends
The dogs’ food	The food that belongs to the dogs
The teachers’ lounge	The lounge for the teachers
The students’ homework	The homework belonging to the students

3. Irregular plural nouns (not ending in -s)

If the plural noun doesn’t end in s, we use ’s:

Example	Meaning
Women’s chore	The chore that belongs to women
Men’s strategy	The strategy that belongs to men
Children’s birthday	The birthday of the children
People’s choice	The choice made by the people
Children’s room	The room belonging to the children

4. Double genitive

We can have two possessive forms in a row to express complex relationships:

Example	Meaning
Rebecca’s sister’s car	The car belonging to Rebecca’s sister
Mayela’s friend’s book	The book belonging to Mayela’s friend
Pupils’ parents’ houses	The houses belonging to the parents of the pupils
Men’s book’s chapter	The chapter of the book that belongs to men
The teacher’s son’s room	The room of the son of the teacher

5. Saying “at someone’s place”

We use ’s to say “at someone’s place” in English:

Example	Meaning
Rebecca is at the doctor’s	Rebecca is at the place of the doctor
I’ll meet you at Mayela’s	I will meet you at Mayela’s place
Let’s go to the butcher’s	Let’s go to the place of the butcher
I’m staying at my aunt’s	I’m staying at my aunt’s place
He is working at the dentist’s	He is working at the place of the dentist

6. Using “of” to express possession

In some cases, especially with objects or abstract nouns, we use “of” instead of ’s:

Example	Meaning
The title of the book	The title that belongs to the book
The color of the car	The color that belongs to the car
The leg of the chair	The leg that belongs to the chair
The handle of the door	The handle that belongs to the door
The keys of the house	The keys that belong to the house

⚠️ We use “of” especially when the possessor is not a person, or when the phrase would sound awkward with ’s.

Exercise: Choose the correct form

Complete with the correct possessive form (’s or ’ or of):

This is my __________ car. (brother)
The name __________ the book is long. (book)
Rebecca is at the __________. (doctor)
The __________ toys are everywhere. (children)
Mayela’s __________ friend is here. (sister)

Show the correction

This is my brother’s car.
The name of the book is long.
Rebecca is at the doctor’s.
The children’s toys are everywhere.
Mayela’s sister’s friend is here.

Using the Gerund in English

In English, the gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun. It allows you to express an action as an idea, object, or activity. The gerund is widely used in both written and spoken English.

1. Gerund as the subject of the sentence

The gerund can act as the subject of a sentence, just like a regular noun:

English	Meaning
Hunting animals is exciting.	The activity of chasing animals is fun and interesting.
Calling for help can save lives.	The action of asking for help can protect people.
Reading improves your vocabulary.	The action of looking at words and understanding them makes your word knowledge better.
Walking is good for your health.	The activity of moving on foot helps your body stay healthy.
Travelling teaches you a lot.	Going to different places helps you learn many things.

2. Gerund after certain verbs

Some verbs are directly followed by the gerund (without “to”):

English	Meaning
I like playing football.	I enjoy the activity of kicking a ball in a game.
She loves writing books.	She really enjoys creating stories or information using words.
We enjoy watching movies together.	We like seeing films with other people.
He hates doing the dishes.	He strongly dislikes washing plates and cups.
They prefer walking to taking the bus.	They like moving on foot more than riding a bus.

3. Gerund after a preposition

When a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the gerund form:

English	Meaning
I can’t leave without telling you the truth.	I cannot go away unless I say the real facts.
I’m tired of explaining the same thing.	I feel bored and worn out from saying the same information again and again.
They succeeded in finishing the project.	They were able to complete their work.
She’s good at drawing animals.	She can create pictures of animals very well.
Before leaving, check the door.	Make sure the door is secure before you go away.

4. Gerund as a subject complement (attribut)

The gerund can be used after the verb to be to complete the subject:

English	Meaning
My pastime is dancing.	My favorite free time activity is moving to music.
His job is teaching English.	His work is helping others learn the English language.
What I like is learning languages.	The thing I enjoy is studying how to speak different languages.
The problem is trusting people too quickly.	The difficulty is believing others too soon without being careful.
My sister’s hobbies are singing and sailing.	My sister likes activities such as making music with her voice and moving a boat on water.

Structures that require the gerund

Here are common prepositions and expressions that must be followed by the gerund:

Structure	Meaning
after	following in time or order
before	earlier than
without	not having or doing something
by	through the action of
of	showing belonging or connection
at	indicating a place, time, or condition
to be used to	to be familiar with or accustomed to
to look forward to	to feel excited about something in the future
it is no good	it is not useful or helpful to
it is (not) worth	it is (not) valuable or important to
can't help	cannot stop oneself from
can't stand	strongly dislike or be unable to tolerate

Verbs followed by the gerund

These verbs are commonly followed by a verb in the gerund form:

Verb	Meaning
admit	to say something is true
anticipate	to expect something to happen
avoid	to stay away from something
consider	to think about carefully
deny	to say something is not true
envisage	to imagine something happening
finish	to complete something
keep / keep on	to continue doing something
go on / carry on	to continue an action
persist in	to continue firmly
mind	to care about or object to
postpone	to delay something
prevent	to stop something from happening
risk	to take a chance of something bad happening
suggest	to recommend an idea
recommend	to advise doing something
enjoy	to like doing something
miss	to feel sad about not doing something
imagine	to create a picture in your mind
like / love / hate	to have positive or negative feelings about something
continue / stop / begin / start	to keep doing, end, or begin an action

Exercise: Complete with the gerund (-ing form)

(Swim) __________ is relaxing.
She enjoys __________ (cook) for her family.
I’m interested in __________ (learn) Italian.
His passion is __________ (write) poetry.
You should avoid __________ (make) mistakes.

Show correction

Swimming is relaxing.
She enjoys cooking for her family.
I’m interested in learning Italian.
His passion is writing poetry.
You should avoid making mistakes.

Expressing Duration in English (for, since, ago)

In English, we often use for, since, and ago to talk about time and duration. Each word has a specific use that depends on context.

1. For — Indicates a duration

For is used to indicate how long something lasts (a full duration).

Example	Meaning
I have lived here for 5 years.	I have lived here during a period of 5 years.
She studied for two hours.	She studied throughout a time span of two hours.
They were together for a long time.	They stayed together during a long period.
We waited for ten minutes.	We spent ten minutes waiting.
He worked here for a year.	He was working here during one year.

2. Since — Refers to a starting point

Since is used to show when something started (with a precise moment or event).

Example	Meaning
I’ve lived here since 2010.	I started living here in the year 2010 and continue to live here.
He has been sick since Monday.	He became sick on Monday and is still sick now.
They have known each other since childhood.	They met in childhood and still know each other.
She’s been a teacher since last year.	She started teaching last year and continues to teach.
We’ve waited since 9 o’clock.	We began waiting at 9 o’clock and still wait now.

3. Ago — Indicates how long ago something happened

Ago is used to talk about how much time has passed since a past event.

Example	Meaning
She left two days ago.	She left two days before now.
I saw him an hour ago.	I saw him one hour before now.
They met long ago.	They met a long time before now.
I arrived five minutes ago.	I arrived five minutes before now.
The accident happened a year ago.	The accident took place one year before now.

Other expressions to talk about duration

1. “How long...?” — Asking about duration

Sentence	Meaning
How long have you lived here?	For what amount of time have you been living here?
How long did it take?	What was the duration of the action?
How long have they been waiting?	For how much time have they been waiting?
How long have you known him?	For what period of time have you known him?
How long were you in Paris?	What was the length of your stay in Paris?

2. “It has been... since”

Sentence	Meaning
It has been three years since we met.	Three years have passed since the moment we met.
It has been a while since I saw him.	A certain amount of time has passed since I last saw him.
It has been months since she left.	Several months have passed since she left.
It has been two days since I last ate.	Two days have passed since the last time I ate.
It has been ten minutes since the bell rang.	Ten minutes have passed since the bell rang.

3. When to use each tense

Tense	Usage	Example	Meaning
Present perfect	Ongoing action	I’ve lived here for 5 years	I started living here 5 years ago and still live here now.
Present perfect	Since + precise date	She has worked here since 2020	She began working here in 2020 and continues to work here.
Past simple	Completed action	They stayed there for two weeks	They were there for two weeks in the past and are not there now.
Past perfect	Duration before another past event	He had waited for an hour before I arrived	He waited one hour, then I arrived afterwards.
Future perfect	Duration in the future	By next year, I will have lived here for 10 years	Before next year, I will complete 10 years living here.

4. Useful time expressions

Expression	Meaning	Example
all day / all night	During the entire day / During the entire night	He worked all day
for a while	During a short period of time	I stayed for a while
from... to...	Starting at one time and ending at another	We studied from 8 to 12
in recent years	During the last few years	In recent years, technology has evolved fast
over the past few months	During the last several months	She has improved over the past few months

🔎 Don't confuse: how long vs how often

How long → asks about duration (ex: How long did it last?)
How often → asks about frequency (ex: How often do you go?)

In this lesson, we focus only on duration, not frequency.

Exercise: Choose for, since or ago

I’ve been here ______ 9 a.m.
They moved here three years ______.
She’s worked with us ______ six months.
We’ve known each other ______ childhood.
He left five minutes ______.

Show correction

I’ve been here since 9 a.m.
They moved here three years ago.
She’s worked with us for six months.
We’ve known each other since childhood.
He left five minutes ago.

Global Exercises

These exercises help you review the key grammar topics from this course: possession, gerunds, and duration expressions.

Exercise 1 – Complete with ’s, of or nothing

This is my __________ car. (brother)
The name __________ the book is long. (book)
Rebecca is at the __________. (doctor)
The __________ toys are everywhere. (children)
Mayela’s __________ friend is here. (sister)

Show correction

This is my brother’s car.
The name of the book is long.
Rebecca is at the doctor’s.
The children’s toys are everywhere.
Mayela’s sister’s friend is here.

Exercise 2 – Put the verbs in the gerund form (-ing)

Transform the verbs in parentheses:

I enjoy __________ (read) at night.
She left without __________ (say) goodbye.
__________ (travel) is a passion for me.
He's tired of __________ (work) late every day.
My hobby is __________ (paint).

Show correction

I enjoy reading at night.
She left without saying goodbye.
Travelling is a passion for me.
He's tired of working late every day.
My hobby is painting.

Exercise 3 – Complete with for, since or ago

I’ve lived here __________ 2018.
They arrived two hours __________.
We’ve been waiting __________ half an hour.
She’s been sick __________ Monday.
He left five minutes __________.

Show correction

I’ve lived here since 2018.
They arrived two hours ago.
We’ve been waiting for half an hour.
She’s been sick since Monday.
He left five minutes ago.

Exercise 4 – Choose the correct answer

Select the correct option (A, B, or C):

They __________ the project yesterday.
A. finished
B. finishing
C. finish
__________ is good for your heart.
A. To walk
B. Walking
C. Walk
I’ve known him __________ high school.
A. for
B. since
C. ago
That’s my __________ bag.
A. sister
B. sister’s
C. sisters
He left an hour __________.
A. before
B. since
C. ago

Show correction

A. finished
B. Walking
B. since
B. sister’s
C. ago